Finance

With new reports suggesting that the U.S. economy will probably slow this year, economists and AI experts say more businesses may speed up AI use to cut costs, generate revenue and boost worker productivity. That could lead to more-rapid adoption but also downsides, including job losses and consumer harms. "Economic downturns spur you to do more," said professor Eric So. "There's a lot of focus on what we can do and not enough questions like 'Should we do that?' and 'Is it being done in a safe way?'"

Jennifer Graham, senior associate director, MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, recommends that students start thinking about how they can connect the dots between their current experience and their future climate career interests. "Now is a great time to learn how your skills, whether in finance, operations, policy, or tech, can translate into the work being done to solve the climate crisis," she said.

According to a study by professor Arnold Barnett and co-author, aviation safety is dramatically better now than even in the last decade. The chance of dying from air travel has consistently dropped by about 7% annually and continues to go down every decade. The study used data from the Flight Safety Foundation, the World Bank, and the International Air Transport Association.

Professor Roberto Rigobon and postdoctoral researcher Isabella Loaiza co-authored a study examining the shift in jobs and tasks across the U.S. economy between 2016 and 2024. Rather than dispense with qualities like critical thinking and empathy, workplace technology heightened the need for workers who exhibit those attributes, Loaiza said.